Low-Carb Cheesy Celery Gratin features celery as a star ingredient and pairs well with any number of things, like grilled steak or roast chicken. If you’ve never tried it, you might be surprised at how celery takes on a subtly sweet flavor once cooked!
Celery, that humble veggie that seems to always take the backseat in soups and stews and is often thought of as nothing more than a vehicle for serving peanut butter or cream cheese, is surprisingly the star of this dish.
Let’s be real; of course the butter and two kinds of cheese don’t hurt either.
But if you’ve never made a dish where celery was a focus and not an afterthought, you’re in for a surprise. When it’s cooked, it takes on a slight sweetness that can almost go undetected when overshadowed by more exciting things like meat and carrots in a stew. However, when celery is a focus ingredient, you actually get to appreciate its flavor nuances. (And bonus, it’s not stringy at all when cooked!)
I find that after cooking, celery takes on a hint of sweetness as well as nuttiness; try it for yourself to see what you think. As far as cheese goes for this recipe, I recommend a combination of Cheddar and Swiss (Emmental is great here, and I think Gruyere would be too!) because I like the way Cheddar melts and I find that the subtle nuttiness of something like Emmental is a nice complement to the celery’s flavor.
More dishes where celery is the star:
- Cream of Celery Soup {Gluten-Free} from An Edible Mosaic
- Quick Pickled Celery from A Farmgirl’s Dabbles
- Sautéed Celery and Shrimp from White on Rice Couple
- Spicy Blue Cheese Celery Slaw from An Edible Mosaic
- Celery Salad with Dates, Almonds, and Parmesan from Cookie + Kate
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 bunch celery (I also used the leaves, but you don’t have to), sliced into ¼-inch thick slices
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, crushed
- ½ cup (120 ml) chicken or vegetable stock
- 4 oz (115 g) cream cheese
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
- 3 oz (85 g) sharp white cheddar or Swiss cheese (or a combination of both, which is my preference), shredded
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and once melted, add the celery and onion and cook until softened, but not browned, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
- Add the stock and bring up to a boil; whisk in the cream cheese until smooth and then stir in the black pepper and parsley.
- Transfer the celery mixture to a 1.5-quart casserole dish; sprinkle the cheese on top.
- Bake until the casserole is bubbling, about 10 to 15 minutes, and then broil it a couple minutes to brown the top if desired.
- Serve.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
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